Ship was extended and upgraded as part of MSC Cruises' £200m Renaissance Programme
By
Rebecca Gibson |
MSC Sinfonia rejoined the MSC Cruises fleet on 27 March following a ten-week drydock at Fincantieri's Palermo yard in Italy.
The ship, which arrived at the Italian yard in January, is the second of four MSC Lirica-class vessels to be extended and renovated as part of MSC's £200 million Renaissance Programme and underwent similar enhancements to her sister ship MSC Armonia, which was extended last September and relaunched in November 2014.
During the ten-week drydock, engineers bisected MSC Sinfonia’s hull and separated the two halves of the ship to insert a pre-built, 24-metre midsection containing 193 extra cabins.
Fincantieri also created purpose-built areas for children, which were designed in partnership with Chicco and LEGO, as well as a new Baby Club, Mini Club, Young Club and Teens Club. Other additions include extra massage areas in the MSC Aurea Spa and an outdoor spray park on deck 13. Meanwhile, the operator has enhanced onboard dining services for its passengers, opening the buffet for 20 hours per day, adding a new lounge area and extending the restaurant.
After departing the shipyard, MSC Sinfonia sailed from Genoa, Italy, to Ajaccio and Barcelona in Spain and Marseille in France. On 31 March, she sailed the first of a series of western Mediterranean cruises from Genona to the Canary Islands, Madeira, mainland Spain and Portugal.
On 6 May, the ship will leave Genoa to sail a series of seven-night Northern Europe voyages to the Norwegian fjords and ports in the Baltic such as Copenhagen, Denamrk; Helsinki, Finland; Stockholm, Sweden; St Petersburg, Russia; and Tallinn, Estonia.
MSC's four Lirica-class ships will be 275m long, weigh 65,000gt and carry up to 2,680 travellers each after the Renaissance programme is completed in 2015. MSC Opera will enter the Palermo yard in April to undergo renovations, while MSC Lirica will be upgraded between 31 August and 9 November.